On September 25 2019, a Reddit user shared the following post (“Inside the gills of a whale shark”) to Reddit’s r/woahdude, and the post with an identical title was subsequently shared to Imgur: Inside the Gills of a whale
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Confederate Flag’s Designer Call it a Symbol of White Supremacy, Not Southern Heritage?
In September 2019, a July 2015 blog post circulated on Facebook, bearing the headline: “Confederate Flag Designer Said It Is A Symbol Of White Supremacy — Not Southern Heritage.” When rendered on Facebook, the link prominently displayed
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Simpsons Predicted Greta Thunberg’ Meme
There is a common, cyclical rumor that animated comedy series The Simpsons — which began its run in 1989 — has predicted numerous events to come. In September 2019, one such iteration claimed that climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg was amon
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Stella Brazier or Greta Thunberg Actually ‘Child Actresses’?
As part of their push to demonize young protesters demanding that their leaders recognize global warming, some far-right and climate change denier blogs have published the unsubstantiated claim that one Australian protester was actually performing, re
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump-Supporting Teens Trick Bernie Sanders into Posing with Them?
In late September 2019 a number of Facebook posters shared a photograph of Sen. Bernie Sanders posing with two high school girls in “Trump 2020” and “Make America Great Again” attire. Although some users shared it without a mis
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Greenland’ Boat in Arctic Ice Picture
On September 25 2019, a Reddit user shared a dramatic image to r/pics, titled simply “Greenland”: Greenland from pics Six days earlier, a different user shared the image to r/MostBeautiful, earning a fraction of th
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Another Teenager with an Important Message’ (About the Flint Water Crisis)
As Greta Thunberg made news (and fake news) on September 24 2019, a Reddit post featuring “another teenager with an important message” about Flint, Michigan’s purported lack of clean water quickly moved to the top of r/all:
Truth or Fiction?→ Storm Cloud in Benevento
On September 25 2019 a Reddit user shared a thread titled “Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy” to the r/pics subreddit: Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy. from pics On Reddit, the image quickly moved to the top of r/all. Its
Truth or Fiction?→ Esfuerzos Desinformativos Usan a George Soros Para Criticar a la Activista Greta Thunberg
La campaña de la activista Greta Thunberg insistiendo que líderes mundiales tomen medidas más fuertes con respecto al peligro climático fue recibida con más intentos de usar desinformación contra ella. Algunos usuarios de las redes sociales invo
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Disinformation Tries to Link Greta Thunberg with George Soros
As Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s campaign for world governments to meaningfully address climate danger gained more attention, so did the amount of online misinformation thrown at her. For some social media users, that meant invoking far-righ
Truth or Fiction?→ Were There No Flags at the Democratic Debate?
On August 1 2019, the following post was shared to Facebook (archived here), claiming no American flags were on display at an unspecified Democratic debate: View post on imgur.com Text on the image itself read: No American flags in an American presi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Find a Dead Mouse in a Nearly Empty Red Bull Can?
On September 5 2019, Facebook user Seth Bowman shared the following post (archived here), alongside a claim his Red Bull energy drink was contaminated by a dead mouse. According to Bowman’s claim, he had nearly finished drinking the can of Red B
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Greta Thunberg Make a Face When She Saw Donald Trump?
On Twitter and Reddit, an animated GIF purportedly showing climate activist Greta Thunberg making a face at United States President Donald Trump appeared on September 24 2019 during her appearance at the United Nations’ 2019 climate summit ahead
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Sexually Stimulate Himself 56 Times Straight Before Dying of a Heart Attack?
In September 2019, a number of people tweeted an apparent news article headlined: “Teen Masturbated 56 Times Straight Before Dying of Heart Attack”: So the limit is 55.https://t.co/6dhCnh6tSj — Nathorix (@Nathorix) September 23, 20
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Billions of Dollars ‘Stolen’ From Rep. Elijah Cummings’ District?
In July 2019, United States President Donald Trump once again recycled an old tactic of responding to criticism from Democratic Party lawmakers by pushing false and debunked claims about them. In this case, Trump singled out Maryland Rep. Elijah Cumm
Truth or Fiction?→ Tekashi 69 ‘Snitched’ and Martha Stewart Didn’t?
On September 22 2019, Facebook’s “Man Page” shared the following meme, declaring that hip-hop artist Tekashi 69 — also called 6ix9ine — is “a snitch” and lifestyle personality Martha Stewart is not: On the left s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man’s Co-Workers Inadvertently Pose with a ‘Sleeping’ Corpse?
On September 20 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a purported headline: “Man suffers heart attack, dies at work, coworkers gather for group selfie thinking he’d fallen asleep”: In an appended status update,
Truth or Fiction?→ Ash Soto and her Vitiligo Body Art
In late 2016, the story of Ash Soto’s story and how she lives with vitiligo spread across social media. Years later, readers continue to highlight her approach to empowering people who, like her, live with the condition in which cells stop produ
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s Congressional District?
An also-ran right-wing candidate in New Jersey generated attention for himself online in September 2019 by spreading an online smear targeting a Democratic Party lawmaker. Joseph Rullo’s Facebook post, which was shared more than 6,800 times, sho
Truth or Fiction?→ Were ‘Alien Enthusiasts’ Shot and Killed at Area 51?
Amid the coverage of the social media-inspired gathering at the Area 51 military outpost in September 2019 was at least one online prank stating — falsely — that people had been killed at the event. The site, LATlmes.com (which looks enough like
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elvis Presley Receive a Polio Vaccination on Live TV in 1956 and Raise Immunization Revels to 80 Percent?
On September 18 2019, a Reddit user shared the following post to r/interestingasfuck, along with the claim that Elvis Presley’s televised 1956 polio vaccination helped boost the popularity of the vaccine not long after its introduction:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Nikola Tesla Describe Mobile Phones in 1926?
On September 19 2019, an Imgur user shared the following quote meme, attributing commentary that seemed to predict cell phones to futurist and engineer Nikola Tesla (misspelled once as “Nikolai Tesla” in the post): Did Nikolai Tesla inven
Truth or Fiction?→ Five Iron Workers Atop a Tower ‘Selfie’
In September 2019, the following image circulated on Facebook, apparently showing five construction or ironworkers crowded atop a dizzyingly tall tower: Simply looking at the image and the smiling men was enough to upset some acrophobic readers,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ronald Reagan Say ‘Under No Pretext Should Arms and Ammunition Be Surrendered’?
Admirers of Republican Party stalwart Ronald Reagan may be disappointed to know that a graphic spreading online falsely credits him with a distorted version of a statement by two men who were not in idealogical alignment with the former United States
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Navy Confirms Videos Show ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena’
A United States Navy spokesperson confirmed that a trio of videos released in 2017 and 2018 show unidentified flying objects, though they are opting to call them “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” or UAP. “The ‘Unidentified Aeria
Truth or Fiction?→ Causes of Death Per Day and Rifles Meme
In September 2019, a number of memes about “causes of death” per day or per year in the United States circulated, largely as discourse surrounding purported retailer “bans” (but really, discontinuation of sales) of rifles. One
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Robin Williams Cheer Up a Paralyzed Christopher Reeve by Pretending to be a Proctologist?
In September 2019, the Facebook page “Clips of Our Past” shared the following meme, which presented an anecdote about Superman actor Christopher Reeve and purported actions taken by friend and fellow actor and comedian Robin Williams to
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Rep. Ilhan Omar Partied on 9/11 Anniversary’ Claim
On September 18 2019, United States President Donald Trump retweeted (archived here) a now-deleted claim that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) “partied” on the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks: IIhan Omar, a member of AOC
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Box of Ivanka Trump’s Footwear Marked ‘Tariff Exempt’?
In September 2019 an image circulated on Twitter, purportedly depicting a box of Ivanka Trump footwear products — bearing a big red stamp reading “tarriff [sic] exempt”: plus, this hit the fan… pic.twitter.com/WjG38IZWjm —
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Maxine Waters Say 700 Billion People Will Lose Healthcare Coverage in a Trumpcare Bill?
On September 17 2019, the purported young conservative-aligned Facebook page “Turning Point USA” shared the following meme (archived here), invoking an old favorite trope about the supposed ignorance or stupidity of women of color in power
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Nintendo ‘Facing Backlash’ for Mario’s Signature Hat?
In September 2019, a screenshot of an article titled “Nintendo facing backlash for Mario’s signature hat resembling a MAGA hat. Should they change it?” circulated in Facebook groups amid complaints about overly sensitive readers and view
Truth or Fiction?→ Nevada Man Charged with Plotting Homophobic and Anti-Semitic Shooting Attacks
A 23-year-old Las Vegas man with a history of associating with white supremacists was indicted on September 17 2019 on a federal weapons charge for allegedly planning mass shooting attacks against both a local synagogue and an LGBTQ bar. According to
Truth or Fiction?→ McDonald’s Loses EU Trademark Battle over the Big Mac, Burger King Starts Trolling Them?
In September 2019, a Facebook page shared the following Tumblr screenshot, which contained the claim that fast food chain McDonald’s had lost control of their “Big Mac” European Union trademark and that Burger King had “trolled
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Democratic Lawmaker Introduce a Bill to ‘Euthanize Seniors’?
Known satire site the Last Line of Defense, or LLOD, continued pushing its content in September 2019, as they opened another affiliate site publishing the same kind of posts. Daily World Update, billing itself as “satire for flat earthers, Trum
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Wall, It’s Real and It’s Magnificent’ Facebook Meme
On September 17 2019, the Facebook page “For America” shared the following border wall meme (archived here): An image of what was heavily implied to be United States President Donald Trump’ promised “border wall̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘School Shooting Hoodies’ With Faux Bullet Holes Real?
In September 2019 a Facebook user shared the following screenshots (archived here) of a since-deleted tweet, depicting three hoodies (Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Sandy Hook) and a comment — “Ok, this is a NEED”: A link to the orig
Truth or Fiction?→ Do These Photographs Accurately Contrast Birmingham in 1940 with Birmingham in 2017?
In September 2019, the following image circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms, purportedly contrasting Birmingham, England in 1940 with Birmingham, England in 2017: At the top was a black and white image of what appeared to be soldie
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Upper Case’ and ‘Lower Case’ Originally Refer to Where Printers Kept Their Letters?
On September 12 2019, Twitter user Benjamin Molineaux shared the following tweet and image, suggesting that the common terms “uppercase” and “lowercase” originated with the standard physical storage of typesetting equipment:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Say ‘Women, You Have to Treat Them Like S—‘ in a 1992 Interview?
On September 14 2019 the popular — but not always accurate — Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared a Donald Trump quote meme (archived here), alleging that the President said “women, you have to treat them like shit” in
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the ‘Newest and Clearest’ Photo of Pluto?
On September 14 2019, the Facebook page “Science Porn” shared the following image, claiming it was the “newest” and “clearest” photograph of Pluto: On Twitter, a space-and-science focused account shared the phot